As we enter into 2017, some are looking forward to a new year filled with possibility. Others are dreading what could be a dramatic change in the global political climate.

Regardless of where you stand on the issues, one thing is certain: there are incredibly passionate people making very impassioned arguments. People who feel their emotional involvement and need to create or support a cause as an outlet for their passions. It's as if a spark has been ignited, and that cause serves as the oxygen and fuel that grows that spark into a flame.

I'm a big fan of to-do lists. I use them as an external memory bank, storing up all of those tasks that are important, but I'm unable to work on at that moment.

Need to make changes to my insurance plan in a few weeks? On the to-do list.

Need to call someone back when I'm not in a meeting? On the to-do list.

Need to change the cat's litter every week? On the to-do list.

It's super helpful to let something else remember everything that floats through my head. However, every few weeks a task is added to the to-do list and it just stays there forever. I look at it and think "I really don't want to do deal with that right now" and easily find something more appealing to do.

We all start out with dreams. Big ones and small ones. Maybe you wanted to become an astronaut. Maybe you wanted to cure cancer. Maybe you just wanted to make a nice dinner.

Those were my dreams, and growing up, if you asked me what I wanted to be I would rattle off the names of all of the professions: scientist, chemist, astronaut, dirt bike racer, chef, and a computer programmer (in that order).

And if you had met me early on in college, I would have told you that my goal was to cure cancer.

We all start out with dreams. But then they start to fade. Reality sets in, and the truth comes out that our dreams are just that: dreams.

Time is of the essence. If you’ve ever asked a question in a meeting and half of the time is spent going over what you already know, or worse, something that is completely irrelevant, you know the feeling of having your time wasted. Time is money, energy, and progress, so having your time wasted is not acceptable.

Here’s how to ask the right questions to get you the answers you need quickly.

It has been a few months since my last post. I thought about starting off with apologies and an explanation for my absence. I thought about maybe saying how life has been busy with a new job, buying a home, planning a wedding, and other stuff. But while those events did happen, really that’s not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that I needed some time to revaluate what I wanted Crazy Enough To Try to represent. And I think I'm ready to reveal the results of that work.

We’ve all been there. Things are going well. The future looks promising, and even if you’re not 100% sure how your plans are going to work out, you’re pretty confident it’ll be ok.

And then it happens. It could be an illness, a missed opportunity, or failed test. Your world seems to crumble a little bit. What you were holding out for didn’t materialize and you’re left holding the pieces of your plans that now seem to be completely useless.

Most people have a dream of where they think they'd like to be in 5, 10, or 20 years. Something that they are aspiring to, something they are working towards, some place they want to see themselves in.

That dream is probably a bit of a stretch goal, not really something that is achievable overnight. There are probably more than a few steps in between here and there.

One thing I often ask myself and others is, "What is actually holding you back?"

For those who know me, I'm always working on at least three things, if not more. Currently, I'm working full time as a strategy consultant, painting two websites (this one and TheNewTutor.com), finishing up the second edition of Crazy Enough To Try (surprise!), and a host of other smaller activities.

I'm also trying to fit in time for fun, spending time with my girlfriend, family and friendships, and continuously learning. So the questions is, how do I do it?

It's no secret: when you're working your passion, you're going to get consumed. There's always going to be one more thing to do, one more word to write, one more calculation to make, one more person to connect with. In all honesty, it's never going to end.

So how do you do decide when to call it quits for the day? When have you done enough to feel that you've accomplished what you are meant to do?

I have this same problem, so here are the ways that I know that I can take a break and do others things (eat, sleep, etc.)

I'm always advocating for people to "do something". If you have a goal in mind, get started. I can't tell you how many people I've met who have dreams and aspirations of things they want to get done, and yet never seem to gain much ground on them.

People get caught up in the planning stage. In the "I need to know everything first" stage. Most people will tell you from experience that your plans will immediately be rearranged. No amount of planning will prepare you for the real deal.

While I don't advocate for just jumping into something without giving it a second though, waiting forever won't do much for you either.

At some point you need to stop adding to your list of "I should do this" and start adding to the "I did this" list.